Consumers are more worried than ever about their data privacy and security. With dozens of major breaches and millions of records stolen or leaked every year, they're absolutely right to be. As the leader of a growing organization, it's your responsibility to address those concerns and keep customers' and employees' data safe. However, that goes well beyond just installing some antivirus software or making sure no one's password is "password" anymore.
Instead, you need to build a proactive strategy that prepares you, your employees, and your clients for a range of potential threats. You need the right software, the right training, and the right plans to prevent a crisis or respond when it happens. You'll also need to continuously iterate and update your security measures as new threats evolve. Below are some of the most important steps in putting together a solid digital defense strategy.
1. Choose the right security tools.
The most obvious step in your digital defense plan is to implement the best technologies for the job. However, choosing your software tools will depend largely on the type and size of your business, plus what kind of data you manage. For those dealing with secure data, like government, legal, or medical data, the choice may depend heavily on regulatory compliance. For other companies, the decision will come down to price, functionality, and other individual needs.
Almost every organization should have a firewall, some sort of antivirus and malware protection program, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA,) and encryption tools. Many should also have an endpoint protection platform or endpoint detection and response (EDR) tool to manage threats from devices on the network. Organizations with higher security needs should use Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS), which monitor the network for suspicious activities.
As businesses increasingly turn to artificial intelligence (AI) in their cybersecurity tools, it's important to recognize that while AI can be a powerful asset, it can also be leveraged by malicious actors to launch sophisticated attacks. An AI's effectiveness depends on the quality of the data it's trained on, and oversight is still required to prevent unintended consequences.
One significant risk associated with AI in cybersecurity is the potential for adversarial attacks, where attackers exploit vulnerabilities in AI systems to compromise their integrity, reliability, and security. These attacks involve feeding AI systems poisoned data or crafting specific scenarios that trigger false positives or bypass detection altogether. AI-powered tools should always be chosen with caution and used alongside human oversight.
2. Understand the different threats.
There are several different types of security threats that can affect organizations. These include malware (viruses, spyware, ransomware), DDoS attacks, password attacks, spam and phishing, corporate account takeover, and others. Many of these programs are designed to steal or leak sensitive information.
Social engineering attacks are common cyberattacks that rely on human error or ignorance. For example, in a phishing scam, the victim is tricked into taking some kind of action, like downloading a malicious file or sharing sensitive login credentials. The prevalence of these types of attacks makes it crucial to train employees in proper internet safety.
Without strong digital literacy, it's easy for a staff member to fall victim and inadvertently threaten the entire network. According to a survey by KnowBe4, a cybersecurity awareness training company, "More than 90% of successful hacks and data breaches start with phishing scams." Proactive employee training and robust cybersecurity measures are necessary to safeguard sensitive data and protect organizational systems from potential breaches.
3. Check your digital hygiene.
Digital hygiene refers to a series of strategies and practices that help organizations and individuals protect themselves from cyber threats. On the user side, this involves elements like strong, unguessable passwords and multi-factor authentication. On the organizational side, it means taking actions like regularly updating all software, as older software is more vulnerable to cyberattacks. It also means wiping unused equipment and personal data that is no longer needed.
For organizations, another key component of digital hygiene is conducting regular cyber security audits, aka risk assessments. This often involves engaging a third party to evaluate systematically the entire network for any vulnerabilities. Smaller organizations without the means to hire a third party can consider running their own audit. Approaches like the NIST cybersecurity framework can help them identify security risks and come up with a plan of action.
4. Establish an incident response plan.
Speaking of planning, every organization should have an emergency response plan in the event of a cyber security incident. These types of attacks can quickly become extremely costly, especially if there are lawsuits involved. The average cyberattack costs $164 per breached record. The more records that are leaked, the more likely you are to incur deep costs—to both your bank account and your reputation.
A cybersecurity incident plan is a document with instructions on how to respond in the event of a serious cybersecurity issue. It should include a plan for business continuity as well as the necessary tools and steps for data recovery. It's also important that your incident response plan dictates exactly which staff members are responsible for which duties. All relevant staff should be thoroughly trained to use the plan if needed.
Being Prepared Is Key
Building a proactive digital defense strategy is often more about philosophy than about particular tools. For example, many cybersecurity protocols adhere to a Zero Trust model, where a user or device is treated as untrustworthy until proven otherwise. The idea is that a cybersecurity threat is not a random rarity but something that's always in the atmosphere. It's not that an incident might happen; it's that it's waiting to happen, and you're responsible for keeping it at bay.
